Decoy
by Andreax
Summary: Alex and Bobby are asked to act as decoys for a son of Sam type of killer. What could possibly go wrong?
1. Chapter 1

Decoy – chapter 1

Eames POV

"This isn't what I thought you had in mind when you asked for our help in this case," I told the lieutenant from the 3-3.

"The decoys have to be P.D.," he said for the third time.

"And there are no other male-female partners on the force?" I asked sarcastically, knowing full well there were.

"None that are close enough in age to pull it off," Lieutenant Coyne shrugged.

"In the entire force?" I asked in disbelief. I was wondering to myself why Goren hadn't said anything yet.

"Some unis, but they're too green and all of the others have families," he finally explained the actual problem.

"So we're expendable?" I furrowed my brow at him. Lieutenant Coyne opened his mouth to say something but Goren finally spoke up.

"Let's talk outside."

Deakins nodded his consent. He, too, had been extremely quiet.

"Interview room," Goren motioned towards it once we were out of the office.

"You want to do this?" I asked when he'd closed the door.

"Not if you don't," he shook his head. "But I'd like to know why first." He sat on the corner of the table and waited for me to explain.

"Bobby, they want us to make out in a car!"

"So the part about someone possibly taking us out with a machete is fine as long as we don't have to make out?" he tilted his head to ask.

"That's not it," I shook my head in frustration. Every argument I could think of sounded pathetic. How could I tell him I was worried that I might get carried away – that in this situation it wouldn't take him long to realize how I really felt. I had no idea how he would react when he figured it out.

"Half of 1 PP already thinks we're an item, anyway," he smirked at me, thinking he knew what was bugging me. "We play couple all the time," he shrugged. "This time it'll just go a little further." He said nothing more as he let me process. After about thirty seconds he broke the silence. "You know we need to do this."

"I can't believe you're talking me into this," I sighed and shook my head.

"I'll try not to give you any hickeys," he grinned mischievously as he opened the door. He knew I'd caved.

After we told Coyne that we'd act as his decoys, I went home to nap but only tossed and turned. After giving up, I showered and changed into jeans and t-shirt. It had been a while since I went parking and I no longer knew what the dress code was. I met up with Goren at the 3-3 at 10 o'clock. The cops who were staking us out were already in place, but we had to be wired and have ear pieces before we left.

The last machete attack had been a week ago. This skell always attacked around midnight and the closest attacks had been a week apart, but they were usually two. We had no way of knowing where he would strike next, but he'd never shown up in the same park twice and that was narrowing down the possibilities unless he decided to leave Queens. If that happened we'd never be able to catch him with decoys.

We left the 3-3 at 11:15 and headed towards the park. If we hadn't been miked I would have talked to Goren about how we were going to fake this, but I kept my mouth shut. I was surprised to feel Goren's hand on mine. He felt warm compared to my iciness.

"Are you okay?" he sounded concerned.

"Ya, I do this all the time," I replied with more sarcasm than he deserved.

"It'll be fine," he tried to reassure me.

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you," I squeezed his hand.

"Great! Make –up sex," someone whistled in my ear.

"Listen," Goren sounded angry as he turned into the parking lot, but before he could continue several other voices ripped our admirer a new one.

"Back seat?" Goren asked after he'd parked in a dark corner of the empty lot. A machete wielding killer must have subdued everyone's libidos.

Goren manoeuvred over the front seat and once he was settled, I followed him and straddled his legs. We'd been asked to use this position for visibility. I smiled at him weakly, not sure of which of us was supposed to make the first move.

"This is pretty unconvincing," I heard a harsh whisper in my ear.

"Talk to me after you've made out with _your_ partner," I whispered back through smiling lips as I caressed Goren's hair. I'd recognized the voice and knew his partner was packing about 50 extra pounds and always appeared to be in need of a shower.

"Kiss me," Goren instructed, smiling.

"You go, Goren," an unfamiliar voice cheered him on.

Before either of us could say anything Lieutenant Coyne told everyone to stop the chatter. I took one last shaky breath and leaned in to kiss my partner. Our first few kisses were chaste. I wanted more but it was Goren who took the initiative to take it further. When I felt his tongue against my lips, I opened my mouth to him. My hands were around his neck and my breasts were rubbing against his chest. His hands were still on my ass and while he used his tongue to explore my mouth he pulled me closer to him. My breasts were now firmly pressed against him and I could feel his erection pressing against me. As I returned his kisses I rocked slightly against him. He groaned into my mouth and used his hands on my hips to help my rocking motion.

"Can't see anything," I heard a voice in my ear. "The windows are fogging up."

"It's not supposed to be a fucking peep show," Coyne growled back. "And who would believe it if the windows weren't fogged?"

As soon as I discovered we couldn't be seen, I increased the rocking of my hips. Goren moved my arm out of the way to gain access to my breast. Remembering that we could still be heard, I suppressed a moan, but I knew they must be able to hear our rapid shallow breathing. The next thing I knew, Goren was turning me around. Despite having no idea what he was thinking, I went in the direction he was moving me. When I ended up with my back against his chest I was confused until I felt his hands undoing my jeans. I trembled in anticipation, hoping I knew what he was planning, and when he slid his hand into my jeans, I had to clench my teeth to stop myself from letting Goren know how exactly exquisite his fingers felt. His breath was hot in my ear and his cock was now pressing into my ass. When I rocked against his fingers, my ass rubbed his erection. Twelve hours ago I'd been worried about Goren finding out how I felt about him, now I was worried about being able to keep quiet while he made me come.

With his left hand in my jeans and his right on my breast, Goren moved his mouth to my neck. I wanted to talk to him – to tell him how he was making me feel, but mostly I was desperate to know what he was thinking and I couldn't ask.

"Let go," Goren had lifted his lips from my neck to whisper in my ear. He wanted me to come. That knowledge coupled with the feel of his lips on my ear sent me over the edge.

My body quaked on top of him. I pressed my lips together to stay quiet, but Goren was not as successful. He grunted into my ear as I trembled above him. As soon as my body calmed, Goren was moving me again. I was on my back on the seat with him on top of me. He was thrusting his tongue into my mouth as he dry fucked me. This was turning out to be more like high school than I was expecting. I slipped my hand between us to help him out. His body jerked when my hand closed around his cock through his jeans. It only took a few more strokes before his body tensed and began to quake.

This was, by far, the most bizarre sexual experience I'd ever had, but it had also become the most enjoyable. Goren had been able to bring me to orgasm while 30 cops listened to us and then I'd returned the favor. When he stopped shuddering he began to kiss and caress me more tenderly than anyone ever had. Two things stopped it from being prefect; those 30 cops and the fact that we couldn't talk. Normally it was Goren who wouldn't shut up but right now I was dying to have the conversation we couldn't possibly have.

Goren lifted his lips from mine while he tugged at his jeans.

"Cold?" I asked, knowing no one would know what I was talking about.

"Sorta," he nodded.

"Just a sec," I pushed at his shoulder. He sat up to let me move. I reached into the front seat to grab the purse I'd brought. I pulled a couple of Kleenexes out of the travel pack I was carrying and handed them to him.

"Thanks," he took them from me and reached into jeans to clean himself off. After he'd tucked the Kleenex into his pocket, he pulled me back onto his lap. We spent several more minutes just kissing before I heard Lieutenant Coyne's voice in my ear.

"Okay folks, it's almost 1. Let's wrap this up. We'll try again tomorrow. Goren and Eames, as promised we'll keep someone on you, just in case. Good work."

"Ya, nice work if you can get it," someone sniggered.

"Turning off my mike now," I told them as I reached around to turn it off. Goren did the same, but we had to leave them strapped on in case we were being watched. All I cared about was being able to talk. I did my pants back up and climbed back into the front seat. Goren followed suit and started the car.

"Can we talk now?" I asked when we were back on the road.

"Sure," he was still looking at the road.

"Why haven't you said anything before?"

"About what?" he glanced at me.

"About what?" I repeated incredulously. "About what just happened. That didn't seem like faking it to me."

"I didn't fake anything," he smiled a little.

"So you do have feelings for me?" I was confused.

"Of course I do," he answered, but in a tone that left me even more confused. It felt like we weren't talking about feelings in the same way. I decided to lay my feelings on the line.

"I didn't want to do this because I was worried that you'd discover that I have feelings for you and that would make things weird between us," the words spilled out of my lips quickly.

"Well, it has made things a little weird, but I think we'll be fine."

"What?" my stomach turned over. "You don't feel the same way?"

"No, I do, but I still think it's weird and I still think we'll be fine," he reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Has anyone ever told you that you suck at expressing your feelings?"

"Many times," he chuckled. "But I think I did okay when I showed you." I could hear the grin in his voice.

"Ya, you did and you know it," I sighed.

"You showed me pretty well yourself," he squeezed my hand again.

"I had no idea you felt the same way I did," I confessed. "Did you know how I felt?"

"I had my suspicions," he turned to look at me briefly. "But your protestations this morning convinced me."

"Really?" I laughed. "I was worried that you might think I found you disgusting or something."

"Well, you didn't say 'Eww, you want me to kiss Goren?'" he laughed in turned. "You were hesitant, not disgusted."

"I'm neither now," I sighed as he approached my house. "Are you coming in?"

He paused for a few seconds before answering me. "I can't, Eames. If machete man did follow us he'd see that we had no reason to go parking if it's okay for me to go inside and while he may not be watching, we know someone is," he reminded me.

"Crap," I groused.

"But I can walk you to your door," he smiled.

We spent at least 10 minutes kissing good night on my front steps.

"What are they going to think?" I referred to the cops who were assigned to watch us.

"That we are very dedicated," he laughed before pulling me back into another kiss. "Okay, I should go," he pulled back. "I'll see you tomorrow night," he gave my ass one last squeeze. He waited until I was inside before getting back into the car.

Our kissing had aroused me all over again but all it took was thinking about Goren's fingers again to get my release and I fell asleep feeling quite content.

end chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

Decoy – chapter 2

Eames POV

I woke up late on Saturday morning feeling like all was right with the world. I had plenty to do to keep me busy until it was time for Goren to pick me up. Saturday is when I normally ran my errands when we weren't on a case. I only ended up having toast at suppertime because I already had butterflies in my stomach. I hadn't been this excited about a date in a long time, except this wasn't a date. This was a decoy detail with my partner and a whole lot of cops that I wished weren't joining us. Neither of those things stopped me from being excited. There was also the small matter of the machete man, as Goren called him, but that barely crossed my mind.

Despite the fact that tonight was the second night of our detail, I still wasn't sure of what I should wear. Goren was due to pick me up in fifteen minutes and I still wasn't fully dressed. After last night, I didn't want to wear jeans again. They'd just gotten in the way. I wasn't sure how Goren would react to what I wanted to wear but when he knocked on the door, I threw caution to the wind and quickly pulled it on over the wire I'd already strapped on. I grabbed the ear piece from my dresser and ran to the door.

"I just need to get my shoes," I told him when I opened the door.

"You like nice," he commented as I grabbed a pair of wedge heels and slipped them on.

"Thanks," I smiled, happy with my clothing choice.

On the steps he gave me a quick kiss before we went to the car, but once inside he slid over on bench seat and began to kiss me in earnest. When I turned more toward him, he slid his hand up my skirt.

"Are you miked?" his breathing was already labored.

"It's not turned on," I told him breathily.

"Good," he almost grunted and then thrust his tongue into my mouth. His hand continued up my leg and onto my ass. His progress finally stopped when he found the strap of my thong.

"I thought at first you weren't wearing anything, but this is sexier," he broke our kiss to tell me. He watched me intently as he slid his finger along the inside of the patch of fabric toward the junction of my legs.

"Mmm," I sighed and moved my ass closer to the edge of the seat.

"We have to go," he pulled his hand back and slid over to the driver's seat.

"Shit," I groaned and adjusted my dress.

"We'll be there soon," he reached for my hand.

"Not soon enough," I whined.

The lot was just as empty as it had been the night before. I reached around and flicked on my mike as Goren parked the car.

"Is yours on?" I asked Goren.

"They don't need two," he shrugged.

"We will if the one Eames is wearing fails," Lieutenant Coyne said in my ear.

"If that happens, let me know," Goren muttered as he undid his seatbelt.

"We thought last night that we'd lost you a couple of times. You were quiet," he complained.

"What the hell do you want from us?" I complained as I watched Goren climb into the back seat.

"They _are_ for your protection," Coyne reminded us.

"You think he's going to slip by you and the only way you'll know we're being hacked to death is by our screams?" Goren shook his head.

"It's protocol for all decoy details," Coyne reminded us.

"And Eames is miked," Goren retorted with a tone of finality as I climbed over the seat to join him.

As I was taking my place on his lap, Goren slid his hands up my legs, pushing my dress up around my waist. This time he didn't have to ask me to kiss him. I held his face in my hands and decided I would take the initiative this time. I'd forgotten that the windows hadn't fogged up yet and everything I was doing was completely visible to our audience.

"Go Eames!"

"Fuck off," I said into Goren's mouth.

"And fuck visibility if we're going to have a running commentary." It took no time at all for Goren to have me on my back. I was surprised to hear Goren swear. He chose the times he swore very carefully to preserve the effectiveness of the event. It worked. No one said a thing.

He wasn't yet completely on top of me. He was holding himself up with one arm as he undid the buttons on the front of my dress.

"Shit, Eames, what happened to your mike? Here, let me fix it." I could see him grinning at me as he took the tape off the transmitter and undid the strap. "Is that better?" he asked as his hand closed over my breast.

"Much," I stifled a groan.

"Can you still hear us?" he asked as he dropped it into the front seat.

"You're a bit muffled," Coyne told us.

"Must be all the kissing," Goren reasoned as his mouth closed over mine.

"Bobby," I breathed into his ear as his lips moved to my neck. "Do you have enough room?"

"Not really," his mouth was now right by my ear.

"Sit up. The windows are fogged up now."

Before I took my place back on his lap, I undid the button on his jeans and lowered his fly. When I reached into his boxers to free his cock, Goren tensed and his head lolled back on the seat. I had intended to climb onto his lap and have him inside of me, but his reaction to my touch made me change my mind. My mouth had barely closed around the head of his cock when he pulled me off by my hair. I was so shocked, I almost yelped. As I straightened up to look at him, he pulled me against him tightly, his mouth at my ear again.

"No way I could be quiet if you do that." His breathing was shallow.

"And this is easier?" I whispered in his ear as I climbed onto his lap. I held my thong out of the way while he guided himself into me. We'd both generated enough lubrication to allow him to slide into me easily.

"Marginally," he said more loudly than he should have as I began to move above him.

"What?" Coyne asked.

"Trying to get more comfortable," he covered as he lifted his hips to meet me. "You comfortable, Eames?" We settled into a rhythm quickly.

"I will be soon," I probably sounded happier than I should have.

"Glad you're both comfy," someone sounded annoyed.

"Mmm," I answered as I lowered my mouth to Goren's. He had one hand on my hip and the other had pushed my bra out of the way. When his fingers began to tease my nipple, I knew I was going to be comfortable sooner than I'd thought. As soon as he sensed my reaction, Goren put both hands on my hips and took charge. I was able to match his new rhythm but his strokes were far harder than I would've been able to accomplish. It felt divine. I had to press my mouth tightly against his to stop either of our noises from being heard. It didn't occur to me at the time that car must have been rocking significantly. Every time our bodies met, I got that much closer to my climax, but I was going to need prolonged contact to go over the top. I couldn't figure out how I was going to make Goren understand that when I couldn't say anything. My body felt so taut with wanting to come, I thought I might faint. With every stroke I ground myself against him. It must have been enough to make him understand because he kept his hips thrust up and let me have the contact I needed so badly. He groaned into my mouth when my body began to quake. As I shook above him, he began to move again, taking very slow exaggerated strokes. When my body finally quieted, he held my hips firmly again resumed his pace. Almost immediately I felt a second, completely different orgasm beginning from deep within me. My entire core flooded with heat as my second orgasm overwhelmed me. I threw my head back and shook, still conscious of trying not to make any noise. From the throbbing inside of me, I knew Goren had come too. We were still kissing and trying to catch our breath when all hell broke loose in my ear.

"Freeze! Drop the weapon!"

"Down! Down!"

"Take him down!"

"Drop it. Don't make me shoot you."

"Okay, now back it up, slowly. Hands on your head! Move away from the weapon."

"Good, good. That's the way. That's far enough. Have you got it, Jameson?"

"Got it!"

"Get on the ground! Get on the ground! Now! On your knees!"

Next we heard the scuffling of several people holding the guy down while they cuffed him. The take down was over in seconds, but it had been enough time for Goren and I to redress. Goren had to leave his shirt untucked to cover a very visible wet spot. By the time we were out of the car, they were leading the machete man away. I didn't even see the face of the person who'd wanted to kill us.

"Okay, everyone back to the 3-3 for the debrief," Coyne called loudly, inspiring both Goren and I to take out our ear pieces.

"I'll be glad to have him out of my head," I chuckled as we got back into the car.

"Mmm," Goren agreed.

The ride back to the 3-3 was quiet. Any attempt I made to talk was met with one-word answers. It had certainly been very unnerving, but Goren usually liked to discuss situations like that ad nauseum. He had retreated into his head and I had no idea why.

Back at the 3-3 we didn't have much to do. There was no paperwork for decoys to fill out and it wasn't our collar, so we wouldn't be questioning the machete man. After being congratulated on a job well done for the one hundredth time, Goren nodded toward the door.

"I'll walk you to your car," he said once we were outside.

When I'd unlocked it, he climbed in to the passenger side while I got into the driver's side.

"Are you leaving your car here?" I asked.

"I can't come home with you," he said bluntly.

"Why not?" I was completely at a loss.

"This was a mistake," he said quietly.

"A mistake?" my voice rose in anger.

"We can't be a couple, Alex. It won't work."

"What won't work?" My heart was pounding and I could feel tears stinging my eyes.

"We can't be partners and be a couple. There's a reason it's discouraged."

"Do not quote fucking policy to me, Bobby. What is going on?"

"Tonight our biggest priority should've been our detail, not trying to have sex without anyone catching on. "

"So this is about the job?" I asked in disbelief.

"It doesn't work, Alex. Every time partners try to be a couple, their partnership implodes. Every time! I don't want that to happen to us. There are hardly even any successful relationships between cops that aren't partners."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He was telling me the job was more important to him than I was.

"You and Joe obviously –"

"Don't," I stopped him. "Don't you dare mention Joe!" I choked, trying not to sob. "I don't want to ever hear you say his name, ever! Understand?" I practically hissed at him. "Get out! Get out of my car!"

"Alex, I-" he reached for my hand.

"Don't touch me," I snatched my hand away. "Don't ever touch me again!" I was so angry I was starting to shake. "Get out!" I yelled at him.

As soon as the door closed behind him, I burned rubber out of the parking lot. I drove blindly, not knowing where I was going. Goren tried to call me immediately so I rolled the window down and pitched my phone into the street. When the tears came, I managed to pull over. When I finally cried myself out, I drove home, feeling battered and bruised.

I was so tired when I pulled up in front of my house, I didn't notice that Goren's car was already there. When I got out the car, he jumped out to follow me. I was so mentally exhausted his appearance didn't even startle me.

"Alex, let me explain."

"Fuck off."

"Alex..."

"You don't want to be a couple because it will ruin our partnership. I get it. Now go!" I unlocked my door and went inside, slamming it closed behind me. I didn't think I could possibly cry again, but when I heard him pull away, the tears started afresh.

end chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

Decoy – chapter 3

Goren POV

Several times on Sunday I'd picked up the phone to call Eames. Even though she'd said she understood what I meant, I knew she was still angry with me. I hadn't intentionally toyed with her feelings; I loved her more than she would ever know but I'd done the exact thing she'd been worried about. I let myself get carried away. Once I'd started kissing her she'd immediately become the most important thing in my life. She was all I could think about and if there was one thing I was sure of, it was that there was nothing more dangerous than a distracted cop. It wouldn't just be ourselves that we'd be putting at risk. It was our colleagues and the people we were supposed to protect who would end up getting hurt. Surely she understood that.

That was in addition to the fact that it would jeopardize our working relationship. We were a damn good team. We'd both had good solve rates in other partnerships, but nothing compared to what we'd accomplished together. Even if we did partner with other people so we could be together as a couple, chances were the relationship wouldn't last and we would have thrown away the best team that Major Case had for nothing. I knew if I left her alone to think about it, Eames would realize all of this on her own. I just needed to give her time.

I had no idea what to expect when she walked in on Monday morning, but I hoped she'd had time to realize that I was right. As soon as she walked into the squad room, Deakins waved us into his office. I'd hoped to be able to talk to her before we had to deal with anyone else.

"I tried to call you on your cell, Detective Eames, to save time, but it kept going straight to voice mail," Deakins told her when we walked into his office.

"I lost it Saturday night," she shrugged. "I'll have to requisition a new one."

"Right," he nodded. "Here's the thing. Everyone from your detail is wanted over at city hall PDQ," he informed at us. "I didn't see any point in sending you ahead when I couldn't get a hold of your partner," he looked at me.

I nodded my understanding.

"Not happening," Eames shook her head.

I knew immediately that leaving her alone had not helped.

"This is coming straight from the mayor, Detective. You're all getting commendations, plus it's a good photo op," he shrugged with a smile.

"I don't care," she told him bluntly and then turned to face me. "Make it go away," she said tersely before leaving the office and slamming the door behind her.

"What the hell was that?"Deakins looked stunned. "I have the distinct feeling I'm missing something."

My mind was racing as I sat down. I obviously couldn't tell him we'd actually had sex in the car during the detail which meant I definitely couldn't tell him that after we'd had sex, I'd told Eames it had been a big mistake. I had to think of a plausible lie quickly.

"There was a lot of chatter during the detail," I began hesitantly.

"Chatter?"

"At the beginning we were quite visible and there were a lot of comments. Eames stuck it out because she knew how important the case was, but I doubt she wants anything to do with those guys again. She's mad at me for talking her into it in the first place." It sounded completely plausible to me and explained how cold she was with me, to boot.

"And what am I supposed to tell the mayor?" Deakins pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Uh, we are in the middle of another sensitive investigation and we can't have our pictures splashed all over the front page of the paper?" I suggested.

"I can sell that," he nodded. "Let her know you're off the hook."

Eames was at her desk with her laptop open when I got back to my desk. She didn't acknowledge my return.

"Deakins is going to tell them we are already involved in something and can't risk having our pictures splashed around," I told her.

"Whatever," she shrugged.

"Eames, we obviously need to talk," I began but Deakins came out of his office with a file in his hand and approached our desks.

"Since you aren't going over to city hall, you can chase this. Check out the scene, talk to the precinct boys, and if you don't think it needs our attention, you can flip it back to them," he handed the file to Eames. "Oh and Alex, you know most men are assholes, don't let it compromise your career."

"You're right, Captain, most men are assholes and I'll definitely take your advice about my career," she smiled up at him.

I knew the asshole part was directed at me, but I wasn't sure what she meant about her career. After Deakins turned toward his office, she opened the file and wrote something down on a scrap of paper.

"See you there," she handed the address to me and walked toward the elevator. This was not turning out like I'd expected at all.

When I arrived at the scene Eames was standing outside the apartment talking to a detective from the 6th precinct and taking notes. She smiled up at him in response to something he'd said to her. What could possibly be amusing at a murder scene?

"Body's inside," she nodded at me when she saw me.

The victim was a well-known, little-respected publicist on the charity circuit. There were a lot of people who would've liked to see her dead, but judging from the blood splatter on the boyfriend/ husband who was sitting on the couch, it seemed pretty obvious what had happened here.

"Why are we here?" I asked once I was back in the hall.

"My thoughts exactly," the smiley detective laughed.

"I've already called Deakins to tell him that we're flipping it back to the 6th," she informed me. "Let me know if you need anything," she shook smiley's hand. "See you back at 1 PP," she nodded at me and then turned and walked away.

"What am I doing here, for that matter?" I shook my head. "Alex, wait." I ran after her. She didn't stop until she got to the elevator where she was forced to wait.

"Alex, can we please talk?" I lowered my voice to plead.

"About what?" she didn't turn toward me.

"You know what," I sighed. "Please?"

"What is there to say?" she asked as the elevator opened. "I think you've made your point abundantly clear."

"So what is my point?" I asked as the elevator doors closed behind his.

"I'm not sure why you feel the need to rub salt in my wounds, but you think being a couple would ruin our partnership," she still hadn't looked at me.

"If being a couple even worked out," I added. "Not to mention that if we were a couple, it would change our priorities. You know a good cop needs to be focussed. If we were a couple, Alex, you would be my focus. That would put us at risk, never mind everyone else that it would put at risk."

"You're probably right," she said as the elevator doors opened on the ground floor. "But there's one thing you didn't consider in all of this," she finally turned to look at me.

"What's that?" I looked into her eyes. The coldness I found there startled me.

"You're the boy genius. Figure it out."

Once again, I was looking at her back as she walked away from me. Eames said practically nothing to me for the rest of the day. She spent most of the time on her laptop, but I had no idea what she was working on. Shortly before four, I headed to the men's room and then stopped on the way back to get a coffee. When I got back to the squad room, she was gone and Deakins was standing in his office door.

"Now, Goren," he jerked his head at me. "What the hell went on between you two?" he asked as soon as my ass was in the chair.

"Why? What happened" I had a feeling I wasn't going to like the answer.

"This happened," he handed me a letter on department letterhead. My head started to spin as soon as I began to read. 'I am officially requesting that I be removed from my partnership with Robert Goren. Our partnership is no longer effective nor is it beneficial to the department. '

She went on to say that she would work anywhere the department needed her and would be taking leave until she was reassigned, without pay, if necessary.

"You looked surprised," Deakins sat on the edge of his desk.

"I am," I handed the letter back to him.

"She said you knew," he sounded puzzled.

"I guess I should've known," I hung my head.

"Is someone going to tell me what happened?" he asked in exasperation.

"No," I shook my head.

"Does it have something to do with that detail?"

"Yes," I nodded.

"I guess we should've listened when she said she didn't want to do it," he heaved a sigh.

"There are a lot of things I should and shouldn't have done," I shook my head in misery.

"Can you fix this?" he nodded toward the letter.

"Can I talk her into partnering with me again? I hope so. Will our partnership ever be the same again? Not in a million years."

"What the hell did you do, Bobby? She's put up with a lot from you. What did you do to drive her away?"

"I was honest," I stood up. "And I thought I was doing the right thing, but I don't think I've ever been so completely wrong in my entire life. In fact, I know I haven't. The trick now will be getting her to agree to talk with me."

When I got to her place, I was relieved to see her car parked out front and a light on. I was worried that she might have gone to her sister's or out of town for a few days. When I knocked on the door she moved the sheers beside the front door to see who it was. When she saw me, she shook her head and let the sheers fall back in place. I knocked again. There was no response. I knocked a third time to no avail. On round ten, she finally opened the door.

"What will it take to make you go away?" she glared at me.

"I've done a lot of talking. I think it's time for me to listen," I looked at her pleadingly.

I heaved a sigh of relief when she moved aside to let me in. After taking my shoes off, I went into the living room and sat on the couch. She sat across from me in a wing-backed chair. I couldn't help thinking how small it made her look and how easily we both would have fit in it.

"What do you want me to say?" her voice was tight.

"I don't want you to say anything. I'm hoping you'll tell me how you are feeling and I'm hoping you'll tell me what I need to do to fix this."

"You think you can fix this?" she stared at me in disbelief. "We make out in a car with 30 cops listening in, confess that we have feelings for each other, then actually, I don't know what you want to call it, had sex? Made love? Fucked? With the same 30 cops listening in and then you tell me it was a mistake and now you think you can fix it?" Her body was taut with anger.

"Made love," I looked at her steadily.

"What?" she furrowed her brow.

"I think we made love."

"Perfect," she shook her head with a laugh. "Is that supposed to make me feel better after you told me what a huge mistake it was and how it would ruin everything? Not to mention the relationship probably wouldn't work anyway? Oh and our relationship would risk the lives of the entire population. How could I forget that?"

"I admit it. I'm an idiot," I nodded. "You're first instinct was right, Alex. Neither of us should've agreed to the detail knowing we had feelings for each other, but it was how I reacted afterward that was the huge mistake."

"I'll say," she snorted. "How could you possibly have thought I'd want to partner with you after that? You had to know nothing would ever be the same between us."

"Will you give me a second chance?"

"A second chance to what?" she held her hands up in confusion.

"I realize now that after we made love, there was no going back – no way our partnership could ever be the same. I should never have said it was a mistake."

"Nope, no way, but I'm sorry, Bobby, you also can't take back what you said. I know you. You honestly think it would've been better if none of this ever happened," she sounded hurt.

"It would certainly be better than this," I took a shaky breath.

"I guess, but it did happen. You did say a lot of hurtful things that you truly believe. You can never unsay them, Bobby."

"But I know now I was wrong," I explained.

"No you don't," she shook her head. "You know now that things can't ever be the way you want them so you're willing to take what you can get. That's not good enough for me, Bobby."

"But Alex..." I couldn't think of what to say.

"There's nothing you can say, Bobby. I won't be what you'll settle for." She stood up and pointed me toward the door.

"There has to be something I can do, Alex."

"I'm sorry, Bobby," she shook her head.

I put my shoes back on. My fingers shook as I tied the laces. "But..." I protested as she opened the door.

"Don't worry about finding a new partner, Bobby. Ask Bishop. She was more than happy to follow you around like a lost puppy, eating your scraps. And you don't have to worry," she pushed me out of the door. "I hear she's engaged now, so you won't have to worry about her falling in love with you."

With that, she shut the door and turned off the light. I sat down on the steps and put my head in my hands. Everything she said was true. I had no idea how I was going to get her back.

end chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

Decoy – chapter 4

Eames POV

It was only 7 o'clock but all I wanted to do was crawl under the covers and not think about anything. I hadn't eaten anything since the couple of bites of toast I'd had that morning, but the thought of eating anything nauseated me, so I decided to go straight to bed. At least when I was sleeping, I wasn't feeling and the last thing I wanted to do was feel.

I thought when I climbed into bed I'd feel cocooned, but instead I just felt cold and alone. Tears started to well up in my eyes again. I was sick to death of crying but getting angry with myself made me feel worse. I was lying on my back trying to decide if I should just get up or not when the phone rang. I looked at the display on my handset, expecting it to be Goren's cell, but it was my neighbour from across the street, Mrs. Weller. She usually collected my mail when I was out of town.

"Hello?" I sat up.

"Alexandra? Is everything all right?" she sounded concerned. I hadn't realized she was an empath.

"Yes, everything is fine, Mrs. Weller. Why do you ask?"

"Well, dear, a man has been sitting on your front stairs for the last 15 minutes. Do you want me to call the police? I mean, I know you are the police, but do you need help?"

"That's my partner, Mrs. Weller. We had an argument and I told him to leave. I didn't realize he was still out there."

"Oh, I didn't recognize him. I think maybe he's been crying," she almost whispered. "Whatever he did, I think he's sorry."

"I know he's sorry, Mrs. Weller, but sometimes that's not enough," I had no idea why I was sharing this with her. "Don't worry; I'll take care of it. Thank you for calling."

"You're welcome, dear. I hope everything works out."

As soon as I'd replaced the phone in the charger, I grabbed my robe, went to the door and opened it.

"Bobby, you have to go. My neighbours are calling me to let me know there's a man on my stairs."

"Where am I supposed to go?" he didn't lift his head out of his hands.

"Uh, home's a good option."

"Nothing for me there," he still hadn't moved.

"Oh, stop being so melodramatic. It doesn't suit you."

"I really have no idea what I'm going to do, Alex."

I looked up to see Mrs. Weller watching us. I gave her a little wave. "This isn't endearing you to me, Bobby. Get inside, the neighbors are watching."

He came back in, slipped his shoes off and went back to the couch. I sat across from him again and turned on the table lamp. He _did_ look like he'd been crying. So he'd managed to make us both miserable. Great!

"Can I have another turn?" his eyes met mine.

"What?"

"I said a lot of idiotic things, and then you told me how they made you feel. I was hoping you'd let me talk again."

"Okay," I sighed and leaned back in my chair.

"Everything you said was true...basically, but I don't think you really understand."

"Oh?" I could hardly wait.

"Well, to start with, I love you too," he smiled sadly at me. My stomach flip-flopped.

"Too? When did I say I love you?" I tried not to let him see how his admission had made me feel. I was still very hurt and angry.

"You told me not to worry about Bishop falling in love with me," he explained. "It's not how I hoped you'd tell me, but I'll take it."

"Bobby, that doesn't change anything. I think it might make it worse," my voice was shaky.

"I know, but that wasn't all I wanted to say. I know it's hard to understand, but it's why I said everything I said," he looked pitiful.

"You're right, Bobby. It's hard to understand."

"Alex, the most important thing to me is being with you. I never told you how I feel because I thought it would either scare you off, which ruins being with you or you would feel the same way and then I'd do something to screw it up and that would also ruin being with you," he began his convoluted explanation. I don't know what scared me more; that I was starting to soften or that I could actually follow what he was saying.

"Go on," I wanted to hear more.

"When this detail came up, I thought it was the right thing to do, I mean, to agree to decoy for them. I also mistakenly thought I'd be able to control myself, but as soon as you crawled into the back seat with me, I couldn't think about anything else. I wanted you so badly, I couldn't hold back."

"Ya?" I had nothing more eloquent to say.

"I almost accepted your invitation to come inside on Friday night, which could have blown the detail. Then Saturday, you came out in that dress and it was all I could do not to make love to you then and there"

"I wanted you to," my confession slipped out before I could stop it and it got me a second sad smile. "But you're right; also not good for the detail."

"And when we got to the park, I lost it. I lost my self-control. All I cared about was making love to you. I didn't care about the case; I didn't care about your safety or anyone else's. I just wanted you. I made us completely vulnerable."

"Bobby, we weren't in any danger. It was just like you said. How was the machete man going to get by 30 cops?" I reminded him.

"But if he had..."

"I would've died a happy woman," I tried unsuccessfully not to laugh.

"I'm serious, Alex," he sounded frustrated.

"Sorry," I tried not to smile. "My turn again, okay?"

"Okay," he nodded. His face wasn't looking quite as grim.

"So because we got completely distracted the first time we made love, you thought we could never be a couple?" I stood up and walked over to the couch. His eyes followed my every move. "The only concession I'll make is that we never should have made love when we were on a detail. We both got carried away. We let our lust take over our higher reason. That was our mistake." I sat down beside him.

"Isn't that what I said?" he looked confused.

"No, you thought because of getting carried away that one time we'd never be able to partner effectively after that," I corrected him.

"And you think we can?"

"I think you're right, Bobby. I think the added stresses of a relationship does make most partnerships implode. In our case, I think being able to make love to you will lessen the stresses of our partnership," I smiled slyly at him. "We might need some time to work out our repressed sexual energy first, though."

"But I know I'm going to do something to piss you off at some point. I'll get so deep into a case that I'll forget something important or say the wrong thing."

"You already do those things," I pointed out.

"But it's different when we're just partners. Won't you expect more from me if we're a couple?" he tilted his head at me.

"Bobby, I'm not naïve enough to think that I'll be able to change you," I explained.

"Don't women want a guy who remembers birthdays and anniversaries and says 'I love you' at the right time?" he reached for my hand again. I let him take it.

"I want you, Bobby, and I know what I'm getting into. The only thing I'll insist on is that you'll let me decide for myself what I want and how I feel."

"Are you saying...?"

"I'm saying the only way I'll agree to be your partner again is if we're a couple. That's the deal."

"Even after everything I said?" he began to squeeze my hand more tightly.

"When you explained it again, I realize now that you were saying that what you've wanted all along is me and you thought a sexless partnership was the only way to achieve that, right?"

"Right," his eyes were beginning to gleam.

"I'm not saying that you weren't right all along, that this might implode on us, but this is all we have. It's this or nothing. As soon as you kissed me in the backseat of the car, there were only two options – all or nothing. I choose all."

"Me, too. I choose all," he breathed. "But you kissed me, remember?"

"I don't think so," I shook my head.

"C'mere," he patted his knee. "I'll remind you."

My heart was fluttering in my chest as he helped me onto his knee. I was so busy watching his face, I didn't notice that he was undoing my robe at the same time until he pushed it off my shoulders.

"So, you were sitting on my lap," he began.

"Like this," I nodded as I straddled his legs.

"Mmm, like this," he nodded. "And then I told you to kiss me. I remember it clearly."

"When I kissed you, it was very tentative, like this," I leaned to mimic the tame kisses I'd given him.

"Mmm, still nice though," he sighed contentedly.

"And I was still scared to death," I admitted. "It was when you kissed me back that I realized how you felt."

"Oh, like this," he brushed his tongue against my lips.

"Uh huh," I scooted forward on his lap as our kissing deepened.

"You feel so good," he breathed in between kisses as he slid his hands under my pajama top. He let his lips wander over my face and neck.

"I love how it feels when you touch me," I closed my eyes to savor the feeling. It was hard to believe that less than an hour ago I'd never wanted to see him again. "I was really mad at you," I informed him, my eyes still closed.

"It was ironic," he observed, lifting his lips from my jaw.

"Ironic?" I opened one eye to look at him.

"The reason I said what I did was to make sure I didn't lose you," he explained.

"I guess it was ironic, but I think flawed logic is a better description," I closed my eye again when his thumb brushed my nipple. My pelvis rocked against him, seemingly involuntarily.

"Completely flawed," he agreed as his lips trailed down my neck.

"You don't care that you were wrong?" I wondered as I felt him popping the buttons on my pajama top.

"Never cared less," he covered a newly exposed breast with his hand. "If being wrong for the rest of my life means I don't lose you, I'll happily be wrong," he lifted his head to tell me.

"That's a nice sentiment, Bobby, but I'd prefer if you just admitted you were wrong and went back to being an astute judge of situations like that."

"I think it's easier to be an astute judge when you're an observer. And I was wrong, not only because I was too close to the situation, but because I was thinking with my heart instead of my head," his eyes were focussed on mine.

"I think there's one more thing I'm going to have to insist on," I told him as he pushed my top off and let it fall to the floor.

"What's that?" he asked absently as his lips moved to my shoulder.

"When you are making decisions that involve me, discuss them with me, please. No unilateral decision making, okay?"

"Okay," he said with his lips still against my skin.

"God, your lips feel good," I sighed. I was surprised to feel his lips leave my skin. When I opened my eyes he was smiling at me. "What?"

"When we were in the backseat of the car –," he stopped himself. "Is it okay to talk about that?"

"Bobby, I had a very good time in the back seat with you. Talk about it all you want." I smiled unabashedly at him.

"Best sex of my life," he laughed, "and 30 cops were listening in."

"Ya, that was the only downside," I agreed. "What did you want to ask?" I scooted backward off his lap. I wanted to be rid of my pajamas completely. They were interfering with my enjoyment of my partner. When I looked back at Goren, his eyes were fixed on me.

"So beautiful," he sighed.

I felt so comfortable with him I'd forgotten that we'd never seen each other naked. His admiration made me tingle.

"You wanted to ask me something about the back seat," I reminded him as I climbed back onto his lap.

"See, you distracted me again," his hands were running lightly over my ass.

"I'll try my best not to be naked at work, okay?" I smirked.

"Mmm, okay," he answered, still distracted. He lifted me to a kneeling position so he could reach my breasts with his mouth.

"God, Bobby," I groaned when he took my nipple into his mouth. I cradled his face in my hands and arched my back to give him complete access. One advantage of our size difference that had never entered my mind when I'd fantasized about Goren, and I'd fantasized a lot, was what he'd be able to reach with his long arms and his intriguingly long fingers. When his hands slid down over the curve of my ass, I gasped when I felt his fingers between my legs.

"Yes – oh – Bobby," my breath came out in bursts as his fingertips explored.

His hum of approval against my nipple vibrated to my core. I wanted to keep my breast in his mouth and move my hips at the same time, but I couldn't. My hips won out. Just as I'd established a rhythm I really liked, I felt one of Goren's hands move to my back. Before I could express my dismay, we were moving. I heard the coffee table thud as it toppled over. Goren had tried to push it out of his way, but the carpet had resisted the motion. It still resulted in the space he was looking for. I was on my back on the couch and he was kneeling in front of me. I trembled in anticipation. I watched as his mouth completely covered my sex. I felt his tongue, then his teeth, ever so gently, and then his lips move over me as if he were taking a bite of a succulent peach. My eyes rolled back and I moaned loudly. He repeated the motion, keeping my ass cradled in his hands, but he altered each successive pass enough that I never knew exactly what to expect. He would use his teeth to graze my lips or let his tongue dip inside of me or leave his lips to linger on my clit before he opened his mouth for his next bite. He seemed to be in no hurry to make me come. My legs were over his shoulders and I'd lifted my hips off the couch in an attempt to get more contact with his mouth. My entire body was starting to quiver, but Goren insisted on savoring his peach.

My hands clutched the edge of the couch as I tried to tell him how wonderful his mouth felt but I don't think I managed anything coherent. His mouthfuls slowly began to focus on my clit. His tongue would circle, flick or lap me. My hips jerked every time he made contact. My body had grown completely taut and only my head, shoulders and hands were touching the couch. With the next pass of his tongue, lights began to flash behind my eyes. Every muscle in my body quaked. I could feel my clit pulsing against his tongue as what felt like small electric shocks jolted me. Blood was pounding in my ears and I think I might have forgotten to breathe. When the tremors finally stopped, my muscles felt like jelly, almost like I'd been given a sedative. I felt warm and weak and blissfully tired. When I felt his mouth leave me, I struggled to open my eyes. His shirt was already off and he'd started with his pants.

"Bobby, that was – I can't even -," my brain couldn't form a sentence.

"That's what I wish we'd been able to do on Saturday. I wanted to push that little thong out of the way and devour you," his eyes gleamed as he kicked his pants and boxers out of the way. "And now I want us to make love the way we should have our first time," he scooped me up and began to walk toward the bedroom.

"Want to kiss you," I tried to pull myself upright. Goren stopped and helped me reposition so that my arms were around his neck and my legs around his waist. Our progress toward the bedroom slowed as our kissing distracted him once again.

"There's something else we should have discussed," his tone became serious once we finally made it to the bedroom.

"What?" I asked as I nibbled at his jaw. "Oh," I nodded as I figured out what he was getting at. "I'm on the pill...and I'm clean."

"I'm clean too," he nodded as he lowered me to the bed. Due to the nature of our work, Goren and I had ourselves tested on a regular basis. On top of that, I hadn't been sexually active since before I was pregnant. As I thought about that, I realized that he hadn't mentioned any girlfriends or dates since about the same time and now I knew why. That thought made my stomach flutter.

As he knelt between my legs he let his eyes roam over my body. His fingers then followed suit. When he began to lower himself, I was sure he was about to ease himself into me, but instead he began to kiss my belly. He moved backward slightly and kissed my thighs. Then he began to kiss his way toward my head again. When his mouth finally reached mined, I kissed him eagerly. My hands were caressing his back when I felt his cock pressing against me. Pulling my knees back slightly was the only adjustment needed. I groaned when I felt him pushing into me. He continued to plunder my mouth as he sank into me. He didn't stop until the tops of his thighs were pressed against me.

"You feel so hot" he breathed against my cheek.

"So good," I rocked a little beneath him.

"Mmm," he lowered his lips to my neck. Then he, too, rocked his hips slightly without pulling out at all. Even that slight movement felt amazing. I couldn't help groaning. A similar sound escaped Goren's lips just before he covered my mouth with his again.

As we continued to kiss greedily, Goren began to move slowly. Every stroke was ecstasy. This was on a completely different plane than what we'd done in the car. I rose to meet each of his thrusts. My hips circled and rocked in time with him. In no time we were having too much difficulty breathing to keep kissing. As soon as he began to move faster, I felt a surge in my belly.

"Alex," he groaned in my ear as my orgasm shuddered through me.

"So good, Bobby." It came out staccato.

"You feel incredible," he breathed against my neck.

"This feels incredible," I corrected him as I felt another rush beginning inside of me.

My second orgasm encouraged him to thrust harder.

"Yes, yes, yes," I tried to let him know that I wanted more. He must have understood because he began to plunge into me with such force I heard the headboard banging against the wall.

"Yes – god, Alex," he panted as I came a third time. This time, he followed, and I held him tightly as he quaked above me and throbbed inside of me. At some point I would have to tell him how much I loved the way that felt.

As soon as our breathing had calmed somewhat we began to kiss again.

"That was -," he was still breathing hard between our loud kisses.

"On a completely different plane than the detail," I vocalized my earlier thought.

"Vastly, absolutely, entirely different," he lifted his head to look at me. His brown eyes were still dark with desire.

"So what was it you wanted to ask me about the detail?" I suddenly remembered the question he didn't finish.

"Mmm, it seems kind of moot, now," he sighed contentedly as he rolled onto his back. "C'mere," he held his held his arm out to me.

I accepted his invitation and snuggled up against him. "Why is it moot?" I wanted to know.

"Because I already have my answer," he informed me as he pulled me against him more tightly.

"Bobby! Will you just tell me, please?" I glared up at him.

"Mmm," he sighed and smiled contentedly. "I wanted to know if you'd fought to stay quiet, too. Now I know you did. That was the only part I didn't like - having to guess how you were feeling."

"I think you guessed pretty well," I lay my head back down on his chest. "Which makes me wonder even more why you -,"

"Can we please never talk about that again?" he cut me off. "I was an idiot. I admit it. Apparently mysteries of the heart are not my strong suit."

"I'll say," I chuckled. "But you make up for it in bed."

"I do still wish there was nothing to make up for," he lifted my chin to kiss me softly.

"I know," I returned his kiss. "And I've forgiven you. And I promise not to bring it up again."

"Thank you," he caressed my cheek.

"Unless you really piss me off," I warned him, with a wink.

"Now all I have to do is figure out what I'm gonna tell Deakins."

"We have more important things than that to figure out," my fingers were running lightly over his chest.

"Like what?" he asked drowsily.

"Like when it'll be my turn."

"Your turn for what?" he kissed the top of my head.

"Well, you just spent the last -," I lifted my head up to look at the clock, "40 minutes doing what you wished we'd been able to do our first time. We have to figure out when it will be my turn."

"Is there something we didn't do?" he sounded confused.

"Ya. Remember, you yanked me off by my hair?" I turned my head to smile at him.

"Oh," a smile formed on his lips, but was quickly replaced by a wince. "Ow!"

"Ow?" I was completely confused.

"My body desperately wanted to respond to that, but couldn't," he sounded like it still hurt.

"And it was painful?"

"Ya," he shifted a little on the bed.

"Where?"

"Don't worry about it," he chuckled.

"Tell me, Bobby."

"My balls."

"Let me see if I can help you with that," I lay my head back down on his chest and slid my hand down his body.

"Alex, I really don't think that'll help," he started to argue. "Oh," he groaned loudly when my hand reached its destination. "Wrong again."

end chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

Decoy - epilogue

Deakins POV

Normally when I walked into the squad room at 8 am, Goren was already at his desk. That Tuesday, the one after Detective Eames handed me her second request for a new partner, his desk was empty. I wasn't surprised not to see Eames. Even if Goren had managed to change her mind, she was never in before 8:30.

I walked into my office and flicked on the light. The message light on my phone wasn't flashing. I debated calling him. If things hadn't gone well last night, he was probably in a tailspin. On the other hand, if things – the ringing of my phone interrupted my thoughts. The call display said it was Goren's cell.

"Deakins," I answered.

"Captain," Goren's voice sounded calm. "I was hoping you'd agree to giving Eames and me the rest of the week off. We're still trying to work things out."

"Work things out, huh?" I was glad he couldn't see the smirk on my face. "So you are making – progress?"

"Ya," he cleared his throat. "Progress."

"Well, I'm sorry, but the answer is no," I told him.

"No?"

"I can only give you til Friday. The mayor really wants this photo op. Do you think you'll be done making – progress by then?"

"Uh, ya, I should be done by then," his voice was tight.

"Good, we'll see you then. Oh, and Goren?"

"Ya?"

"I've seen the video."

"What video?"

"It didn't occur to you that they'd be filming the detail?"

"Uh, no, I-," he sputtered.

"Good thing the techies haven't figured out how to clear up fogged windows. From what I saw, you two were very convincing." My compliment was met with silence. "And I'll make sure all of the copies making the rounds are gone before you get back."

"Uh, thank you?"

"Of course, there's nothing I can do about the original that's in evidence lock up."

"One second," he covered the mouthpiece of the phone. I could still here both of their voices, although I couldn't make out what they were saying.

"I guess we'll just have to hope that the tape goes missing as happens so often with evidence," he told me when he came back on the line.

"Goren...," I began to warn him.

"Don't worry, Captain. I won't go anywhere near the thirty-third's lock-up," he assured me.

"And Eames?"

"She won't either."

"Then how?"

"Then how what, sir?" he asked innocently.

"You're right. I don't want to know. I'll see you both on Friday at City hall," I told him before I hung up the phone.

As I sat at my desk trying to figure out what they planned to do, it suddenly occurred to me. Eames had contacts everywhere in the NYPD. It wouldn't be hard for her to make that tape disappear. At least I could be sure they'd make sure the case against the machete man was solid before anything mysteriously vanished. All I had to do now was figure out what I was going to do with the file sitting in front of me. I had no choice except to kick it back to the 2-7 and tell them they'd have to work it until Friday. I picked up the phone and began to dial.

end


End file.
